Generally, the only head wear available for runners is sun visors or some form of commonly available hat or cap of the type which has a crown or dome which fits over the crown of the head and has a visor or bill attached to the front thereof, such as, for example, a baseball cap.
Visors offer adequate protection as far as shading the eyes from the sun, but offer little protection from rain. The general category of caps which include baseball caps is usually made of cloth or plastic which can be insulated for warmth, or made partially or wholly of an open mesh material for wear in warm climates where ventilation is desirable. The visor or bill attached to the shell's lower edge extends forward, normally about one and one-half inches to five inches, with about three inches average. The width of the visor or bill is usually about six to eight inches. The purpose of the visor is to protect the wearer's face against snow, wind and sun and, for general purposes, rain.
It is well known among runners that while running the body temperature is significantly elevated and, in the process of cooling the body, much of this heat is released from the head. Therefore, when it is raining a runner wearing a generally available cap or hat may have his face protected from the rain, however, unless the temperature is quite cool, the head will become much too warm, which condition is uncomfortable and undesirable and, sometimes dangerous.
No art is available in this field which would suggest an all-weather hat for runners to wear, especially in the rain, which would have an aerodynamic design particularly suited to a runner's needs and which would provide air flow for cooling around the head, while at the same time, diverting water off the face, hair and back of the neck. Indeed caps now available for runners do not divert water off the back of the neck. The only hats which would cover the back of the neck would be, for example, a fireman's hat, but that would be much too heavy and cumbersome for a runner. Also, most caps and hats tend to flatten the hair of the runner; and allow it to become soaked with perspiration.